Self-calibration three-dimensional light field display based on scalable multi-LCDs

Abstract

Approach to achieve self-calibration three-dimensional (3D) light field display is investigated in this paper. The proposed 3D light field display is constructed up on spliced multi- LCDs, lens and diaphragm arrays, and directional diffuser. The light field imaging principle, hardware configuration, diffuser characteristic, and image reconstruction simulation are described and analyzed, respectively. Besides the light field imaging, a self-calibration method is proposed to improve the imaging performance. An image sensor is deployed to capture calibration patterns projected onto and then reflected by the polymer dispersed liquid crystal film, which is attached to and shaped the diffuser. These calibration components are assembled with the display unit and can be switched between display mode and calibration mode. In the calibration mode, the imperfect imaging relations of optical components are captured and calibrated automatically. We demonstrate our design by implementing the prototype of proposed 3D light field display by using modified off-the-shelf products. The proposed approach successfully meets the requirement of real application on scalable configuration, fast calibration, large viewing angular range, and smooth motion parallax. © Copyright 2013 Society for Information Display.